Category: News

There’s something odd going on with Smash Mouth right now.

The “All Star” band has been performing concerts in recent days, but it hasn’t been lead singer Steve Harwell who was belting it out on stage. Instead, it appeared to be somebody else who is not Harwell, and fans can’t seem to figure out who it is. Furthermore, the band denies replacing Harwell and is brushing aside questions about the mystery singer.

On October 4, a Twitter user asked the band, “Hey @smashmouth did y’all replace your singer & not say anything?” Smash Mouth responded simply, “nope.” The user then followed up with a photo of a singer, presumably from a recent non-Harwell Smash Mouth show, and asked, “Who is this? Everyone wants to know.” They did not receive an answer.

Eve 6, the ’90s band that has a strong Twitter presence today, got some answers. They tweeted, “ok a couple things 1) @smashmouth did you really fire your singer and B) can i be your new singer.” Smash Mouth responded, “nobody got fired but anytime you wanna come sing All Star with us we’re down.” While the band said they did not fire Harwell, that answer doesn’t confirm whether or not they performed with a replacement singer or who that person is.

After fans noticed the new mystery singer, the band confirmed with TMZ that Harwell missed some recent performances due to “issues with cardiomyopathy and heart failure.” Yesterday, after the TMZ story, Smash Mouth shared a tweet (seemingly written by Harwell) that reads, “Just had some procedures done but I’m good.”

Meanwhile, the band addressed a report about the mystery singer but didn’t offer any insight, responding to a tweet by writing simply, “lol.”

This afternoon, the band shared tweets about upcoming performance in Jackson, Mississippi on October 7 and in Bethel, New York on October 9. It remains to be seen just who will grab the mic during those shows.

In a new feature on Hollywood’s struggles to keep film and TV sets safe during the ongoing pandemic, Giancarlo Esposito absolutely unloaded on his fellow actors who are still stubbornly refusing to get the vaccine. The outspoken TV veteran, who rose to prominence as Gus Fring on AMC’s Breaking Bad, can’t believe that anyone would be selfish enough to not get vaccinated before working with others.

Eposito’s words capped off a new feature in The Hollywood Reporter on how, like most industries in America, even the entertainment world has to deal with anti-vaxxers. Only these ones have superstar agents and managers who can strong arm studios, and Esposito is calling them out:

“If you don’t want to vaccinate, go to a small island and sequester yourself,” The Mandalorian and Better Call Saul actor says. “[Otherwise] you’re saying ‘F*ck you’ to all you other human beings. We all have to do it if we want to live. I don’t understand how people don’t vaccinate. For me, I’ve lost dear friends, so I know it’s real. Not only in Europe but in America, friends who were completely healthy and uncompromised. The vaccine is the answer. I’m not downing anyone who doesn’t want to vaccinate. Don’t work. Go ride it out somewhere where you’re not going to compromise anyone else if you get it.”

The THR piece also revealed that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Letitia Wright has allegedly resumed spreading anti-vaccination beliefs on the set of the sequel in Atlanta. Wright deleted her social media accounts back in December 2020 after tweeting a video that accused the vaccine of being the “Mark of the Beast,” and according to THR, the event led to her “entire team of U.S. representatives” quietly parting ways. Considering they both work for Disney at the moment, maybe Esposito and Wright can have a little chat.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

It’s been about a year and a half since Kevin Parker released Tame Impala‘s highly anticipated album The Slow Rush. Now, the musician is giving fans even more Tame Impala content with The Slow Rush Deluxe box set, which will celebrate the album’s two-year anniversary. It features some unreleased b-sides from the LP, which Parker has now previewed with a hypnotic remix to “Breathe Deeper” featuring none other than Lil Yachty.

The “Breathe Deeper” remix’s instrumentals stay the same, but Parker’s verses are replaced with Yachty unique flow. The rapper’s cadence mirror’s the song’s swirling and psychedelic beat. He delivers lyrics about linking up with a love interest and dancing the night away that are slightly washed out over the bouncy rhythm, giving the impression of a lo-fi remix.

Lil Yachty spoke about his collaboration with Parker in a statement alongside the new remix, saying he’s been a longtime fan: “It was so amazing to work with Kevin as I’ve been a big fan since high school so it was a pleasant surprise and honor to be a part of such an incredible song.”

The physical version of the The Slow Rush Deluxe box set features two transparent red vinyls and alternate album artwork, including a 40-page booklet and The Slow Rush 2050 calendar. Both the physical and the digital version of the deluxe album include the “Breathe Deeper (Lil Yachty Remix),” as well as the pre-album single “Patience” and some extended versions of a few songs.

Listen to “Breathe Deeper (Lil Yachty Remix)” above.

The Slow Rush Deluxe is out 2/18/2022 via Modular. Pre-order it here.

It’s usually a good sign for an artist’s career when their concert in a major metropolis sells so many tickets that it has to be moved to a new — and larger — venue at the last minute. It’s probably also a good sign that despite the change of venue, the line wrapped around the block before the doors opened. The last opportune omen is the fact that those people in line patiently waited over 2 hours past the initial doors time for those doors to open and stuck it out through a show that lasted until well after midnight.

With all those tenets in mind, it looks very much like Nigerian Afrobeats/R&B singer Tems is already a star. The Monday night LA stop on the singer’s first-ever US tour followed the above arch, starting out at The Roxy before switching to The Fonda Theatre a day before the show was to take place, which didn’t stop a legion of fans from lining up down Hollywood Boulevard, around the corner on Gower, and all the way down the street for most of the next block. Those fans certainly did wait it out, and their patience was rewarded by an impressive performance from the burgeoning star.

Tems’ opener, Amaarae, generated suitable hype for the headliner with a set that showcased her bold personality and welcoming demeanor. The opener pulled fans onstage to perform alongside her more than once and provided a lively counterpoint to the relatively lower key set that followed. Her exuberant tunes were more defiant and extroverted, whereas Tems’ set — taken from her two EPs, 2020’s For Broken Ears and last month’s If Orange Was A Place — was more internally focused and emotional.

Tems’ performance bore many of the hallmarks of a veteran performer, despite her ostensible rookie status. Framed in angelic light and wearing a flowing, translucent dressing gown, she delivered powerful vocals over renditions of “Damages,” “Free Mind,” and of course, “Essence,” the Wizkid megahit that brought Tems to national prominence. Her fans, a diverse mix of young people, many flamboyantly dressed in traditional African patterns and styles, bought into every new song in the set, despite some being relatively very new. The inevitable singalong that broke out when she launched into “Essence” — assisted by Wizkid in a surprise appearance, naturally — left the impression that she’ll have plenty of opportunities to improve on lots of future tours.

About that delay, though: It’s becoming clearer by the day that fans will be feeling the fallout from the pandemic and resulting entertainment shutdown for a while yet. So far, we’ve seen multiple examples of supply chain and logistical problems forcing artists to postpone events in just the last few weeks. Post Malone was forced to postpone Posty Fest due to supply problems, while J. Cole canceled and rescheduled a pair of shows after hours of delay because there wasn’t enough time to set up the stage as he envisioned. Although Tems didn’t specifically cite these problems, there’s little doubt that switching venues affected the production and prompted these delays.

Tems’ concert is also the second one Uproxx covered recently where a relatively new artist who’d broken out during the pandemic suddenly found that they were way more popular than projected at the last minute. Blxst’s Santa Ana tour stop, initially set for The Observatory’s smaller Constellation Room, was moved to the main stage practically the day of. The bad news is that eventually another breakout star will likely be forced to either play the smaller venue, leaving fans out, or reschedule shows as fewer venues and crew will be readily available. The good news is that these last-minute updates indicate the improving health of the industry, with tickets in high demand, and better projections for stars who couldn’t see their real-world impact as they grew their profiles mostly over the internet for the past year.

For acts like Tems, that can only be encouraging. Having to build a career in less-than-ideal conditions probably added a number of additional stressors on top the usual pressures of learning to deal with fame on the fly. But being able to see real-life rewards — particularly in respect to learning that your star has risen even higher than you (or your booking agent) could have imagined almost makes it all worth it. So, even as we all face the residual effects of the pandemic in live entertainment, for some stars and their fans, the payoff is more than worth the wait.

The Trump camp can’t be enjoying the publicity rollout for Stephanie Grisham’s new book, I’ll Take Your Questions Now, which also happens to be the book that Stephen Colbert doesn’t want you to buy. That’s a fair point, but also: so many advance tidbits from this book have been previewed that, hey, we may have already heard the best parts of this book? We heard about how Melania Trump (who Stephanie worked for as chief-of-staff) enjoyed humiliating Trump in retaliation for the alleged Stormy Daniels affair. Wwe heard what Trump apparently said about those toadstool-penis claims, and then (and this is not all) there’s the vegan aversion that Trump claimed would protect his big brain.

Then there’s Grisham’s revelations about Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who she called “Senator Freelader” with a “creepy little smile” as revealed by Business Insider:

“Senator Freeloader was sitting at a table by the pool, a big grin on his face, lapping up the goodies he was getting like some potentate. He said to me, with a creepy little smile, ‘Isn’t this great? Man, this is the life’… It struck me that he was using Trump to mop up the freebies like there was no tomorrow (seems that he still is). He would show up at Mar-a-Lago or Bedminster to play free rounds of golf, stuff his face with free food, and hang out with Trump and his celebrity pal..”

How does Graham feel about this allegation? He spoke on-air with Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt, and Graham found all of this to be so funny. “Apparently she’s implying that the only reason I want to be around President Trump is because of the food.” More giggles poured fourth: “I’ll let you determine if that’s why I spend time with the president. Because I need my next meal.” He also added, “My appreciation for President Trump includes the food! But much beyond that.” A big “huh?” seems accurate.

So, “creepy little smile”? Check. Also, this could be a confirmation.

Chris Brown and Drake are being accused of copyright infringement in a new lawsuit that alleges their song “No Guidance” uses parts of another artists’ song without permission, according to TMZ. Mr. Cooper and Drum’n Skillz, the artists suing Drake and Brown, say that “No Guidance” sounds just like their song “I Love Your Dress,” which was released three years before. Cooper, whose real name is Brandon Cooper, and Drum’n Skillz, real name Timothy Valentine, say that even inexpert listeners would hear the similarities, which they say proves “No Guidance” is principally derived from “I Love Your Dress.”

The lawsuit points specifically to the refrain of “She got it; she got it,” which they say Drake and Brown recreated as “You got it, girl; you got it.” While “I Love Your Dress” uses its line 16 times, “No Guidance” uses it 11. The duo also insists that a lyric using the phrase “flew the coop” was a subliminal shot at Cooper. You can compare the two tracks for yourself below.

In the wake of the lawsuit, though, Brown at least also got some better news in a separate case; TMZ reports charges were dropped in an assault case in which Brown was accused of slapping a woman so hard her weave came loose. Prosecutors cited a lack of evidence.

Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul joined ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith on First Take Wednesday morning to provide his thoughts on a range of topics, including Deandre Ayton’s contract negotiations, which have stalled as of late.

Following a breakout 2020-21 in which Ayton averaged 14.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks, the third-year center is eligible for a rookie scale maximum contract extension. However, with fewer than two weeks remaining for both sides to reach an agreement before the deadline of the 2021-22 regular season, he’s yet to receive one.

On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Phoenix is reluctant to offer Ayton the max, while he “has no intention of accepting a deal less than the comparable max contracts that several of his 2018 NBA Draft classmates signed, including Trae Young, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Michael Porter Jr.”

Paul, entering his 17th NBA season, recognizes such occurrences are merely the way of the land, but does not anticipate this current impasse jeopardizing Ayton’s tenure as a Sun.

“I’m not concerned, that’s the business of the game,” Paul said. “Those contract talks happen as players, agents, all that stuff. We got Mikal Bridges, another guy who’s a big part of our team (eligible for an extension), so hopefully that stuff will take care of itself, so we can get back to playing and doing what we do.”

The deadline for Ayton and the Suns to agree on an extension is Oct. 18. Should the two sides fail to figure out a new contract, Ayton will hit restricted free agency next summer.

While the ongoing pandemic has reduced movie premieres, film festivals, and the entertainment industry at-large to a fraction of their former glory, some stars are going the extra mile to celebrate the folks keeping the industry alive. According to a Deadline report, movie fans attending Paramount’s CineEurope Presentation in Barcelona this week were treated to one such appearance by none other than action star Tom Cruise, who dropped by the festival to promote both Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible 7. The surprising cameo reportedly brought “CineEurope attendees to their feet,” and brightened up the starless affair.

Following the reveal, Cruise took the opportunity to thank those attending the presentation, stating he “wanted to come personally” before adding he’s “had a great relationship” with CineEurope over his 40-year career” and he is “always thinking” about moviegoers.

“I love making movies, it’s my passion,” Cruise said from the stage this afternoon, telling exhibition, “Every day we want the very best it can be. We’re out here with you and for you and we’re never going to stop.”

Cruise then introduced the attendees to a previously shown clip from Mission: Impossible 7, followed by the first 13 minutes of the Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. The long-awaited second entry in the Top Gun series hit theaters next May, followed by Mission: Impossible 7 in late September.

A Korean man has been bombarded with over 4,000 calls a day since Squid Game premiered due to having the same phone number as one that’s featured on the popular Netflix series. Everyone with an 867-5309 number in the early 1980s can relate.

“After Squid Game aired, I have been receiving calls and texts endlessly, 24/7, to the point that it’s hard for me to go on with daily life,” he said in an interview with Koreaboo. “This is a number that I’ve been using for more than 10 years, so I’m quite taken aback. There are more than 4,000 numbers that I’ve had to delete from my phone and it’s to the point where due to people reaching out without a sense of day and night due to their curiosity, my phone’s battery is drained and turns off.”

That sounds like a nightmare (I get anxiety if I get an call from one unknown number, let alone 4,000), so Netflix has decided to “edit out the scenes that include the phone number,” according to EW. “The unfortunate incident was accidental as the Squid Game creators thought that removing the first three digits of the number would render it unusable. However, they were unaware that if the number was dialed as a local call, those numbers would be automatically added, allowing anyone to reach its owner.”

This poor person can finally sleep sound knowing that the next time someone calls him, it will be about his car’s extended warranty.

(Via EW)

While Britney Spears’ conservatorship isn’t over yet, significant progress has been made in freeing her from it: A week ago, her father Jamie was removed as Spears’ conservator. Spears has been vocal about the situation on social media lately, and yesterday, she took some time to both throw some shots at her family and some praise at her new lawyer, Mathew Rosengart.

Spears took to Instagram to share an image of an underwater scene, featuring one woman encountering another. She explained the image, “his picture is everything to me !!! It makes me want to cry … she’s saving her divine feminine sister !!!!”

She then went on to write about how her family treated her during her conservatorship, saying, “I suggest if you have a friend that’s been in a house that feels really small for four months … no car … no phone … no door for privacy and they have to work around 10 hours a day 7 days a week and give tons of blood weekly with never a day off … I strongly suggest you go pick up your friend and get them the hell outta there !!!!! If you’re like my family who says things like ‘sorry, you’re in a conservatorship’ … probably thinking you’re different so they can f*ck with you !!!!”

She concluded by praising Rosengart, writing, “Thankfully I found an amazing attorney Mathew Rosengart who has helped change my life !!!!”

Check out Spears’ post below.